Delta Clowns
by Takianna
Summary: What happens when a Mandalorian is afraid of clowns? Walon Vau story.


Their Request is:

I would like a story in Saga featuring:

1. Mandos disguised as clowns

2. humour

3. explosions

I do not want: anyone dying

Characters: Walon Vau

**Delta Clowns**

Walon Vau, Mandalorian warrior and trainer of clone commandos, had been to the circus once before in his childhood. When he was a child of privilege, before he had been disowned. He hadn't liked it then and now was no different.

Vau stood, black beskar'gam gleaming under the lights of the motley looking circus tent. It's garish colors contrasting to the other drab buildings of Keldabe. What had he gotten himself into this time? To call the men from Delta squad clowns was one thing, but for them to be dressed as clowns to infiltrate the circus and find several members of the reemerging Death Watch, was something completely different. Now they were not just being their normal clone selves, but also acting as a traveling group of circus clowns.

It made his stomach turn. Thinking of some of the best men who served the Grand Army of the Republic now prancing around under a tent in clown clothes was hard to come to terms with and Vau didn't want anything to do with it. His fear of clowns also didn't help to ease his feelings either.

He knelt down and stroked his Strill, which circled through his legs as it sniffed every scent on the surface of Mandalore. If he could love this drooling thing, surely clowns would not be that bad. Vau knew he could make it through the performance, even if his fear of clowns threatened to strangle him to death. It's what he had to do. Asking Delta to come here and not coming himself was not something he was willing to do. Vau wanted to see the Death Watch hu'tuuns buy'ce to buy'ce.

"Home Mird," Vau said and rose to walk towards the tent. He didn't have to worry about the Strill, it could find it's way home from a planet three systems away.

He strode purposefully towards the tent. It was bad enough that he had to attend, but to pay at the door, well that was an insult, he thought. Vau handed the barker at the door the appropriate amount of credits and headed inside.

Luckily, his helmet filtered out all smell, or Vau was sure that he would've smelled the sweat of all the patrons packed into the small tent. Row after row of men and possibly women stuffed inside armor. He was sure that the aroma of some exotic creatures was also mixed into the stench that surely permeated the tent.

Vau noted that a group of rumored Death Watch supporters were knotted together in the back of the second section. Moving quickly he headed to the top of the section. Mentally he checked the equipment he would need to catch them speaking to each other. He had a microphone concealed in his gauntlet which he could easily slip towards them and pick up anything they might be saying to each other. They wouldn't suspect he was spying. It was an old trick of the bounty hunting trade.

Picking his way down the section, Vau found an empty seat two rows in front of the group. The seats were guarded by a lone child eating spun orion candy. Vau wagered that the child was no more then six years old. Nothing he couldn't handle. He'd put blasters in the hands of two year olds, this couldn't be that difficult.

"Excuse me," Vau said to the child. "I need to get by."

"Nope," the boy said looking up at Vau's helmet. "These are taken."

"By who?" Vau asked irritated at the child.

"People," the child said taking a bite of the candy and chewing thoughtfully.

"Please," Vau said in a hushed whisper.

"What was that?" the child asked feigning as though he didn't hear and placing a hand to his small ear.

"Please!"

The child moved aside and Walon slid past to the empty seats. It was a great position to get the mic where he wanted it. Slipping the mic out of his gauntlet, he moved to put it behind him.

"What's that?" the child asked pointing to Vau's hand.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, you have something right there in your hand."

Vau slipped the mic back into his gauntlet and held up his gloved hands to show the child. Who did he think he was dealing with anyway? Vau had broken children half his age in live fire exercises. It took all of his will not to reach out and slap the child. Luckily for this child, Vau had changed his ways. He was a completely different Mandalorian now.

"Who you meeting?" the child asked and looked at Vau's helmeted visage.

"Friends."

"Doubt it."

"What?"

"It's not like the beskar'gam you wear screams that you are friendly. There is only one reason to wear that color and that's to intimidate the other person. You don't seem that scary to me."

Walon pointed a finger at the child wanting to say something, but he thought better of it. He recoiled his hand and shrugged.

"Where are your parents?" Vau asked instead noting that the child hand no adult with him.

"Not here," the child said. "They are both out working bounties."

It happened a lot on Mandalore. Children left to their own devices as parents went out and hunted down bounties on other planets. Bounties brought money to the planet, but what price were the children really paying.

Why did Vau care? He didn't even like children that much, or at least that is what he had always told himself. This was not the time to start caring. Looking over his shoulder he noted that the group of Death Watch hu'tuun were still talking among themselves. He needed to get some information. They all had their buy'ce on and it was hard telling who they were really.

Looking back at the ring, Vau pondered what his next move should , that had always been what he had stressed to his trainees.

"Don't worry," the child said moving so close to Vau that he was almost sitting on his lap.

"Worry," Vau said looking at the child. "About what?"

"They are only clowns and they really can't hurt you. If you want I'll hold your hand so that you aren't scared. My mom always does that for me when I'm scared. It makes everything better."

Innocence brimmed from the child, but Walon was on edge about how the child knew he had a fear of the painted clowns. Maybe the Death Watch had found a force sensitive child to be their look out. This could all be a way to tip them off. His insides began to quiver as he went over the best scenario for getting out of the situation.

"I'm not scared," Walon said exasperated. "I'm a Mandalorian Warrior. We aren't scared of anything."

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone that you don't like clowns. Your reputation as a tough guy won't be tarnished."

The boy turned to look at the ring, his eyes shining as the preparations were made for the circus to get underway. Vau also looked towards the ring. At any minute, he would be greeted with clowns who were really clones, painted up to look like clowns. Vau felt sorry for the real clowns. He was sure they were tied together somewhere where they couldn't get out. If he was right, they never knew what had hit them. Delta was that good.

The curtain on the far side of the ring parted and four white faced clowns emerged. If you didn't know, it wouldn't strike you as were all the same height, same body size and moved in the same ways. Luckily clowns didn't have to fit into their clothes perfectly because Vau noted that the pants were too short and some shirts were barely holding onto their buttons.

He tried to pick out who was who among the four, but with their faces painted and the colorful whigs and noses the donned, it was difficult even for someone who knew them so well. He thought that Boss was probably the one clown with purple hair and a bright green nose. Vau would know soon enough.

The child laughed as one of the clowns tripped over another and fell. Vau turned to look at the child and then back at the ring. The clowns weren't so bad, he thought. It helped that he knew who they were really underneath. It was funny that a man who dealt with people who wore helmets that showed no expression had a problem with clowns.

The clown who Vau thought was Boss began jumping up and down and flailing his arms around. It was the signal which had been determined before the mission. Vau knew that Scorch, the munitions expert, was about to work his magic on the tent.

Vau stood up and pulled the child to his feet.

"C'mon," he said gruffly and began to push the child towards the exit row of the bleachers.

"What are you doing?" the child protested.

"Getting you out of here."

"He's trying to steal me!" the boy shouted loud enough to be heard over the chiming music which accompanied the antics of the clowns.

As Walon pushed the boy ahead of him, the patrons of the circus turned to look at him. There was one thing that Mandalorians didn't take too well to and that was stealing someone else's child. As Vau moved more quickly towards the exit of the tent, he heard weapons being unsheathed behind him. Pushing the boy out of his way, Vau began to run.

As the patrons flooded out of the tent and into the night, an explosion erupted behind them. They stopped and turned to look at the fiery work of Scorch as it bloomed into the night. There would be no more circus. Vau slipped away into the darkness of Mandalore.


End file.
